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Visitor Comments: 17

(8)
Reuven B. Frank,
April 28, 2013 3:25 PM

Religious Freedom,...Subjectively

I am pretty subjective about this issue because I have been wearing a Kipa now for more 35 years. I have lived and in Israel for MOST of that time, but remember some problems when I wore my Kipa there in the 70’s, and none when I worked there in the first decade of the 21st century.So, I would DEFINITELY side with the perspective employee, and probably take the restaurant’s info. (name, address, manager’s name, is it a branch of a national chain?)I would probably pursue and follow-up on this, because of my perspective. But, like I wrote, I am FAR from objective about this issue.

(7)
Patty Arche,
April 25, 2013 1:24 AM

Is 2013

Is discrimination no matter what he is wearing,the religion does not make is bad employees this is America 2013 no America 1950 and yes is illegal I can't believe some people approve the manager opinion and decision

(6)
dale,
April 20, 2013 2:55 PM

my rules

The restaurant is run by an owner, not by God. If I don't want a Jew, a Baptist, a negro, a muslim or a blond working for me, I shouldn't be forced to hire them by some government. I should be able to make the rules I want. It is my business. If you don't like it, don't patronize my business. God as the ultimate authority will eventually deal with me.

Rivka,
April 21, 2013 11:39 PM

OK to discriminate in hiring?

I'm sure Hitler would have approved of your statements. Not to mention people in the South in the 1950's who would not let blacks even use the bathroom, and killed them just for being black.

Herman,
April 25, 2013 5:53 AM

Nonsence!

You dont no a thing you are talking about, have you lived in South Africa? For how long? Speak of what you know

Gerald,
August 26, 2013 10:52 AM

Read the comments correctly

Herman, Rivka did not mention South Africa, he/she said the South, meaning I am sure the Southern former slave states of USA. So perhaps he/she knows more about it than you do. And please attend a spelling class, you're lack of spelling skill points to a juvenile level of knowledge in that subject. So you also need to learn something. Shalom

Anonymous,
April 25, 2013 12:54 AM

rebuttal

Actually you cannot refuse to hire a person based on religion, nationality or ethics background.

(5)
Mikhael,
April 17, 2013 6:08 AM

I think the manager is right. Why would someone wear a kippa at a non-kosher restaurant?

It can also mislead Jewish customers who will assume the food is kosher. And in the case of a restaurant, they do have a right to enforce certain standards of appearance, regardless of religion What if they tell a Rastafarian waiter to get rid of his dreadlocks? I think they have that right too. What if it's a kosher restaurant and the waiter is Jewish, they might want him to wear a kippa in that case so religious diners may feel more comfortable.

(4)
Anonymous,
April 15, 2013 11:50 PM

Twin Towers 97th floor

I worked for an observant Jew named Shimi at the world trade center. i can honestly say that in all my years as an employee, I never worked for a nicer guy. This man was sweet kind (good looking) and remarkably intelligent. What impressed me the most is that he always wore his yamaka and sometimes even adjusted it right in the middle of a meeting. More observant Jews should wear it proudly. When someone asks just say what it symbolizes and use it as an opener to glorify the Almighty period.

Participant in this study,
April 16, 2013 2:26 PM

what if the person insisted on wearing a necklace with a cross on it?

the 'actor' mgr.'s response is anti-semitism. A girl who visibly wears a cross should be asked to take that off as well under this policy, but would that happen? i have seen non-jewish women wearing the star of david @ the grocery store and complimented them. It is beautiful. Why any different with the yamaka?

Anonymous,
April 16, 2013 11:31 PM

Response to "Participant in the study" comment.

Keeping one's head covered verses fashion is not the same thing. This (covering one's head) is something that is commanded in Judaism, not merely a fashion preference. An employer could no more expect/deny employment to a Christian if they refused (due to their religion) to pray to the devil, or what ever would be abhorrent in the eyes of their view of G... Jewelry, whether a Jewish star, or a cross, or what ever is not commanded in the Bible. And, in some industries (when working with certain machinery) is dangerous. For example, my husband was told not to wear a tie to work because of the machines he was occasionally working with. That was reasonable. To require one to do the opposite of their religious beliefs, for employment, is not, and is against the law in America.

(3)
ken,
April 15, 2013 7:22 PM

i stand with ISRAEL and their customs

i would try to see if the person would appreciate me stepping in ,where i was not invited and take a stand with this issue,if it were muslim,i would keep quiet.

Ra'anan,
April 16, 2013 7:07 PM

I would stick up for a Muslim or Hindu as well...

because their religion is irrelevant. I've worked w/Muslims in Jerusalem & it makes no difference in anyway that they are Muslims.

(2)
Marlene Langert,
April 15, 2013 5:48 PM

Spread the word

I would definitely speak up and I would tell the manager that I will spread the word among all my Jewish and non-jewish friends that he discriminated against this guy for wearing a yarmulke. He would lose many patrons of the diner. (Let's face it, we Jews like to eat in diners!) I would tellhim and do it, that I will put it on my Facebook page. THen, I would walk out and never return. I would follow up by doing just what I said!

Antonio,
April 16, 2013 4:15 PM

Spread the word

But what if the person was a Muslim or a Sikh?

Anonymous,
April 16, 2013 7:10 PM

Muslim or Sikh...

I'd stick up for them as well. I remember being "hunted" as a Jew by a group of high school Christians. This isn't as threatening, but it reminds me of that pain & fear & since I know of it first hand, there's no WAY I'd stand by & let it happen to someone else!

(1)
Jordan,
April 15, 2013 2:23 AM

We all need someone to step up to the plate for us

As someone who has become more observent over the years and is debating wearing a kippa to work I can say my heart goes out to this man. Unfortunately discrimination is usually more subtle. When we are in times of trouble we all want others looking out for us. When we show compassion for other human beings in situations like this and stand for principles over institutional rules and profits, I do believe that Hashem performs compassion for us when we need it the most. In this scenario, what would be the worst that could happen by speaking up? I think that we need to put our comfort levels aside in situations like these and speak up. It's better in my opinion to live a principled, challenging life than a comfortable but uneventful one.

My nephew is having his bar mitzvah and I am thinking of a gift. In the old days, the gift of choice was a fountain pen, then a Walkman, and today an iPod. But I want to get him something special. What do you suggest?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Since this event celebrates the young person becoming obligated in the commandments, the most appropriate gift is, naturally, one that gives a deeper understanding of the Jewish heritage and enables one to better perform the mitzvot! (An iPod, s/he can get anytime.)

With that in mind, my favorite gift idea is a tzedakah (charity) box. Every Jew should have a tzedakah box in his home, so he can drop in change on a regular basis. The money can then be given to support a Jewish school or institution -- in your home town or in Israel (every Jews’ “home town”). There are beautiful tzedakah boxes made of wood and silver, and you can see a selection here.

For boys, a really beautiful gift is a pair of tefillin, the black leather boxes which contain parchments of Torah verses, worn on the bicep and the head. Owning a pair of Tefillin (and wearing them!) is an important part of Jewish identity. But since they are expensive (about $400), not every Bar Mitzvah boy has a pair. To make sure you get kosher Tefillin, see here.

In 1944, the Nazis perpetrated the Children's Action in the Kovno Ghetto. That day and the next, German soldiers conducted house-to-house searches to round up all children under age 12 (and adults over 55) -- and sent them to their deaths at Fort IX. Eventually, the Germans blew up every house with grenades and dynamite, on suspicion that Jews might be in hiding in underground bunkers. They then poured gasoline over much of the former ghetto and incinerated it. Of the 37,000 Jews in Kovno before the Holocaust, less than 10 percent survived. One of the survivors was Rabbi Ephraim Oshri, who later published a stirring collection of rabbinical responsa, detailing his life-and-death decisions during the Holocaust. Also on this date, in 1937, American Jews held a massive anti-Nazi rally in New York City's Madison Square Garden.

In a letter to someone who found it difficult to study Torah, the 20th century sage the Chazon Ish wrote:

"Some people find it hard to be diligent in their Torah studies. But the difficulty persists only for a short while - if the person sincerely resolves to submerge himself in his studies. Very quickly the feelings of difficulty will go away and he will find that there is no worldly pleasure that can compare with the pleasure of studying Torah diligently."

Although actions generally have much greater impact than thoughts, thoughts may have a more serious effect in several areas.

The distance that our hands can reach is quite limited. The ears can hear from a much greater distance, and the reach of the eye is much farther yet. Thought, however, is virtually limitless in its reach. We can think of objects millions of light years away, and so we have a much greater selection of improper thoughts than of improper actions.

Thought also lacks the restraints that can deter actions. One may refrain from an improper act for fear of punishment or because of social disapproval, but the privacy of thought places it beyond these restraints.

Furthermore, thoughts create attitudes and mindsets. An improper action creates a certain amount of damage, but an improper mindset can create a multitude of improper actions. Finally, an improper mindset can numb our conscience and render us less sensitive to the effects of our actions. We therefore do not feel the guilt that would otherwise come from doing an improper act.

We may not be able to avoid the occurrence of improper impulses, but we should promptly reject them and not permit them to dwell in our mind.

Today I shall...

make special effort to avoid harboring improper thoughts.

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